Antiglucocorticoid steroids for the treatment of anxiety disorders

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of antiglucocorticoid steroids for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Claims

1. A method for the treatment of anxiety disorders, comprising administering an anxiolytically effective amount of at least one antiglucocorticoid steroid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the antiglucocoticoid steroid has the general formula ##STR7## wherein R.sub.1 is H, CH.sub.3, unsubstituted or OH or halogen substituted CH.sub.2.dbd.CH--CH.sub.2 or CH.dbd.C--CH.sub.2, or an aryl, arylthio or arylmethyl group, the aryl moieties of which may optionally be substituted with (C1-C6) alkyl, (C1-C6) alkoxy, OH, halogen or CF.sub.3, or R.sub.1 together with R.sub.7 is a bond;

R.sub.2 is H, (C1-C6) alkyl or an aryl group optionally substituted with a group selected from (C1-C6) acyl, (C1-C6) alkoxy, (C1-C6) thioalkoxy, --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --O--, n being 1 or 2, and ##STR8## X and Y each being independently H or a group selected from (C1-C6) alkyl and (C1-C6) acyl, or R.sub.2 together with R.sub.7 is a bond;

R.sub.3 is (C1-C6) alkyl;

R.sub.4 is H, OH, (C1-C6) alkoxy, (C1-C6) acyloxy, a group selected from (C1-C6) alkyl, (C1-C6) alkenyl and (C1-C6) alkynyl, each of which group may be substituted with hydroxy, oxo, halogen, azido or cyano, or --C.tbd.C-phenyl, the phenyl group of which may optionally be substituted with S--(O)m--(C1-C6) alkyl, m being 1 or 2, or with ##STR9## X and Y each being independently H or a group selected from (C1-C6) alkyl and (C1-C6) acyl, or X and Y together with the nitrogen to which they are bonded form a ring;

R.sub.5 is OH or a group selected from (C1-C6) acyloxy, (C1-C6) alkoxy or (C1-C6) acyl, each of which group may optionally be substituted with hydroxy, (C1-C6) alkoxy, (C1-C6) acyloxy or halogen; or

R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 together with the carbon atom to which they are bonded form a 5- or 6-membered ring system;

R.sub.6 is H or methyl optionally substituted with hydroxy or (C1-C6) alkoxy; and

R.sub.7 forms a bond with either R.sub.1 or R.sub.2.